25th anniversary of the Destriero challenge

August 10, 2017 – Yesterday, 25 years ago, the Destriero, the fastest motor yacht in the world, set the record for crossing the Atlantic in 1992. This record is yet unbeaten. The monohull, built in 1991 in less than one year in the Fincantieri shipyard of Muggiano and Riva Trigoso, sailed 3,106 nautical miles without refueling, from Ambrose Light, New York to Bishop Rock lightship on the Scilly Isles, England, in 58 hours at an average speed of 53 knots (reaching a maximum speed of 66 knots), claiming once more the Blue Riband, awarded in 1933 to the legendary transatlantic liner Rex.

In order to celebrate the feat, on September 5th, 1992 the Destriero was also awarded the Virgin Atlantic Trophy by the English business magnate Richard Branson for the fastest trans-Atlantic crossing, as well as the New York Yacht Club Columbus Atlantic Trophy. At that time, the Destriero was the largest unit in light alloy ever built, one of the ships with the highest efficiency, power and technology concentration, a real jewel of the Italian shipbuilding industry.

At 67 meters long with a beam of 13 meters and 60,000 HP, the yacht was able to reach average speeds exceeding 60 knots. Record figures, an Italian pride, the result based on a wealth of experience gained by Fincantieri in over 200 years of shipbuilding history, which still allow the Group to build the most beautiful and efficient civil and naval ships.